Table 4.

Secondary outcomes

	[18F]FDG-PET/CT-driven group (n = 91)	Diagnostic surgery group (n = 41)	p	Adjusted p	Adjusted OR (95% CI)
Surgical complications following diagnostic surgery	13 (14%)	10 (24%)a	0.16e	0.17g	0.5 (0.2–1.3)g
In benign nodules (n = 98)	9 (14%)	9 (26%)	0.16e	0.23g	0.5 (0.2–1.5)g
In malignant and borderline nodules (n = 34)	4 (14%)	1 (17%)	1f	0.75g	1.6 (0.1–30.7)g
Type of complication
Wound infection	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0.53f	0.62g	0.5 (0.0–8.4)g
Hematoma with re-exploration surgery	1 (1%)	1 (2%)a	0.53f	0.53g	0.4 (0.0–7.8)g
Seroma	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0.53f	0.63g	0.5 (0.0–8.7)g
Recurrent nerve paralysis	2 (2%)	0 (0%)	1f	1g	2.4E+7 (0-∞)g
Hypothyroidism following partial thyroidectomyb	5 (6%)c	7 (17%)a	0.06f	0.07g	0.3 (0.1–1.1)g
Hypoparathyroidism, transient	3 (3%)d	1 (2%)	1f	0.85g	1.2 (0.1–13.2)g
Incidental findings on [18F]FDG-PET/CT
With diagnostic or therapeutic consequence	12 (13%)	10 (24%)	0.11e	0.09g	0.4 (0.2–1.1)g
[18F]FDG-positive thyroid incidentaloma	10 (11%)	9 (22%)	0.10e	0.10g	0.4 (0.2–1.2)g
Benign	7 (8%)	7 (17%)	0.32e	n.s.
Malignant	2 (2%)	0 (0%)
No definite diagnosis	1 (1%)	2 (5%)
Survival after one year	91 (100%)	41 (100%)	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.

CI, confidence interval. n.a., not applicable. n.s., not specified. OR, odds ratio

^aTwo complications (hematoma and hypothyroidism) occurred in one patient

^bHypothyroidism due to partial thyroidectomy included patients who had new levothyroxine-dependent hypothyroidism following a partial thyroidectomy procedure (i.e., hemithyroidectomy and/or isthmus resection)

^cInitial total thyroidectomies (n = 5) are excluded from the denominator

^dTransient hypoparathyroidism only occurred following initial total thyroidectomy

^ePearson’s chi-squared test

^fFisher’s exact test

^gBinary logistic regression to adjust for stratifying variables